A Soul for a Soul
by WindyCity96
Summary: (Part of the 12 Romanogers Soulmate Series.) Steve knew the price for the Soul Stone long before Clint got back.
1. Chapter 1

The Avengers had failed. Five years ago, Thanos came to Earth in search of the Infinity Stones, seeking to wipe out half of all live in the universe. The Avengers tired to stop him, even attempted to undo the damage he after he snapped his fingers, but he was always one step ahead of them.

So, the Avengers returned home. Went their separate ways. Tried to figure out how to live with the guilt. For Steve and Natasha, that meant raising their children.

"Daddy!"

Captain America smiled as he walked back into the New Avengers facility, a little girl with golden blonde curls and hazel green eyes running into his arms. Five-year-old Yelena Wanda Rogers. "Hey little darling," he greeted as he scooped her up, giving her a kiss on the cheek. She was so much like Natasha. And not just in her looks. When Steve felt held her in his arms, he felt this warmth. Only Natasha was like summer, and Yelena was more like spring. "Where's your brother?"

* * *

"Mama? Are you okay?"

Six-year-old James Rogers stood in the doorway to Natasha's office, the Black Widow quickly drying her eyes as she forced her a smile.

"I'm fine baby," she lied "Mama's just having a rough day at work."

"I made you lunch," he said, hefting a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a plate.

"Thank you." Natasha smiled softly as her son placed the food on her desk, pulling James into her lap. He had so much of Steve in him. The same calm, comforting, cooling presence. Only Steve was winter, and James was fall.

"You taking good care of our girls, son?" Steve asked as he walked into the room. The super soldier smiled as his son ran over and gave him a big hug. "Why don't you take your sister outside and play?" Steve suggested, prompting his little boy to run off and leave the adults alone. "You look tired," Steve noticed.

"Clint was spotted in Mexico. He slaughtered twenty-three members of a drug cartel. Twenty-three," Natasha repeated "Do you know how many people he killed in our first three missions together? Eight."

Steve reached over and took his wife's hand, causing her let out a weary sigh. For the past five years, she'd been working tirelessly. Searching for Clint and leading teams of Avengers on Earth and beyond. Not to mention the constant nightmares of Thanos turning Wanda and the others to dust. "I saw a pod of humpback whales in Hudson. Can you imagine the kids' faces if they got the chance to see that?" He asked, smiling at the thought of James and Yelena's awestruck reactions "Maybe it's time we take a page from Tony's playbook. Buy a place in the city and start over."

"If we start over, who does this?"

"Maybe it doesn't need to be done. Before I met you, I was a ghost. Haunting the streets of Brooklyn, looking for any piece of the world I knew. Trying to figure out what my purpose was in this new world. One look at you and I knew: my purpose is to make you happy. But I don't know how to do that if we keep holding onto ghosts."

"You do make me happy," Natasha assured him "I used to have nothing. Then I got this. This job. This team. This family. And I was better because of it. I found you because of it. And I am grateful that you are still here with me. And the kids. But I never would've had any of this without Clint. Now he's suffering," she said in a trembling voice "and there's nothing I can do to help him."

Steve reached across the desk and wiped the tears from her wife's face. "You did everything you could. We all did."

"Then why did we lose?"

* * *

Scott Lang drove up to the Avengers facility that afternoon, where he spotted a pair children running around the front lawn.

"Hey kids," Scott greeted with a smile, "What are you two doing here?"

"We live here," Yelena answered "And Mama said we're not supposed to talk to strangers."

"I told my little girl the same thing. Listen, are any of the Avengers in there?" Scott asked, gesturing to the large facility in front of him "I really need to talk to them. Very important superhero business."

"You don't look like a superhero," James criticized.

"Oh, but I am. My name's Scott Lang. I go by,"

"Ant-Man," James finished in an awestruck voice "You fought with my daddy in Germany."

Yelena frowned. "I thought Mama said he went to heaven."

"If he went to heaven, then that means," James' face turned stark white as he shouted, "he's a GHOST!"

Scott jumped back as the children let out a frightened scream, right before they ran back inside.

* * *

"Ghost!" James and Yelena shouted they ran into Natasha's office, burying their faces into their parents' chests.

"Babies, what's wrong?" Natasha asked as her son held onto her for dear life.

"There's a ghost outside. Kill it, Daddy!" Yelena demanded in a frightened voice, squeezing him tight.

"A ghost?" Steve repeated "Kids, there's no such thing as ghosts."

"Yes there are! We saw one," James insisted "Ant-Man's ghost is outside."

Curious, the Black Widow pulled up the security video from the front gate, where she saw an image that made her heart stop.

_"Hello? Anybody home?" _Scott asked, looking into the camera _"It's Scott Lang. We met a few years ago. In Germany. Listen, I'm really sorry about scaring the kids," _he apologized "_Look, could you just buzz me in?"_

* * *

"A time heist?" Tony repeated, standing on the porch with Natasha, Scott and Steve "That's the name you're going with?"

"Uh yeah," Scott answered nervously as the billionaire handed him an iced coffee "You got a better one?"

"No, no. Time heist is good. It's catchy. Why didn't anyone think of this before?" Tony asked, "Because it's laughable?"

"The stones are in the past," Steve explained "We can go back and get them."

"We could snap our own fingers," Natasha finished "Bring everybody back."

"Or we could screw things up worse than he did," Tony feared.

"I don't think we would," Steve counted.

"God, I've missed that unwavering optimism of yours. But all the pluck in the world won't do any good if we can't safely travel the Quantum realm to pull of said time heist. Everyone standing here is a parent," Tony reminded "So why do I feel like the only one here thinking about what will happen to my kid right now?"

"That is not fair," Scott argued "My daughter lost her mother."

"And now she has her father back. And you two," Tony gave Steve and Natasha a disappointed glare "Do you know why I was so angry in Germany? Because at that moment, you had everything I had ever wanted since fighting my way out of that cave," he answered "a wife, a child. All the things that make life worth living. And you were willing to throw it all away. And now you want me to do the same."

Natasha handed Tony an old piece of paper from her jacket: a child's drawing of a woman surrounded by red light. "My son's been drawing that since he could pick up a crayon. He doesn't have a single concrete memory of her. But he knows that he loved her. And that he misses her. That's why he asked if we could name his little sister Wanda when she was born." Natasha's eyes filled with tears as her voice broke "We have to take a stand, Tony."

"We did take a stand. And look where we are," Tony sighed as he stared at the picture in his hand "Wherever Wanda is, she's with her soulmate. And her brother and her parents. Maybe she's at peace now," he hoped "Maybe they all are."

"What if they're not? I lost my soulmate when this whole Thanos thing went down. I could feel her dying," Scott revealed painfully "all the way in the Quantum Realm. She was angry and confused and terrified. Now we have a chance to bring her back, to bring everyone back. And you won't even?"

"That's right Scott. I won't even," Tony confirmed in a weary voice "I can't. I'm done."

"Tony, I know we're asking a lot of you," Steve acknowledged "But we have a second chance."

"This is our second chance," Tony pointed out to the backyard, where four year-old Morgan Stark could be seen playing with James and Yelena. "I warned you all we would lose if we didn't prepare, and you didn't listen. So do yourselves a favor and listen to me now: Let this go," he pleaded as he headed inside "The kids can spend the night if you want. Morgan's been dying for a sleepover."

* * *

"You're son's quite an artist." Scott sat in the mess hall of the Avengers facility with Natasha, looking over the dozens of drawings that adorned the fridge.

"He gets that from his father. Steve was an art student before the war. I'm sorry about your soulmate," Natasha apologized as she handed him a beer "What was her name?"

"Hope," Scott answered with a hint of grief "Hope Van Dyne."

"Pym's daughter."

Scott nodded. "She and her family saved my life in more ways than one. They helped me start over after I got out of prison. Get my daughter back. Pushed me to be the best me I could be, you know? Now they're gone. And it's like half of me has been ripped out. I can't see color anymore," Scott whispered "Everything's black and white. Like an old movie. It got a little better when I saw Cassie but," the Ant-Man's voice trailed off as he stared at the beer in his hand, trying to remember what color it was supposed to be.

"You'll see her again soon," Natasha promised "All of them."

"I got in touch with Bruce," Steve announced as he walked in "He asked if we could meet him tomorrow morning to go over the plan."

"Time heist," Scott corrected, a hint of a smile.

Natasha tilted her head as she noticed the chill coming off her husband as he grabbed a beer. "What's wrong?"

Steve paused as he rolled the beer back and forth in his hands. "I'm not sure I can keep doing this."

"Oh come on. You can't back out too," Scott pleaded "You're Captain America."

"I'm not saying I don't want to help, Scott. I'm just asking myself whether or not I can."

"Of course you can. You're Captain America," Scott repeated.

"You say that the same way everybody else does. Like I'm something more than human," Steve described "Like I'm some sort of myth, like Thor. Well I'm not a myth, Scott. I'm just a man. One who's lived the life of a soldier from 1942 to 2018. These past few years have been my first without a war in a long time. And do you know what I learned?" he asked "I'm tired. I'm a hundred and five years old and I'm tired," Steve repeated, in a voice that seemed to drain the youth from his face "Tired of fighting. Tired of watching peaceful landscapes become marred and buried under a wave of death. Tired of war. Now this war we're about to fight, it is unlike any war I have ever seen. Because for once, we have a chance to undo some of the death that war brings, instead of just slowing it down. And as much I hate how I got it, I've enjoyed the simple life I've lived these past few years. Waking up with my wife. Making my kids breakfast," he listed off "Dropping them off at school. Tucking them in at night. And now I have to go back to war. I know that sounds selfish."

"No it isn't," Natasha disputed gently. She had enjoyed the quiet simplicity of the past few years as well. Even if it had been tainted by loss and grief.

"Look, I get it. No one's fought the good fight longer than you," Scott acknowledged "And if you two want to hang it up after this, no one's going to judge you. You've earned it. But we need you on this one Cap," the former convict pleaded "Hank Pym once told me that being Ant-Man isn't about saving our world, but the world of our children. I don't know about you, but I don't want my kid to grow up in a world, in a universe in mourning."

"No argument here," Natasha agreed.

Steve nodded silently as he took a sip from his beer, an icy chill running down his back.

* * *

"What'cha drawing Cap Jr?"

James sat at the Stark family table early that evening, carefully dragging his crayon back and forth on a piece of paper. "It's my Aunt Wanda. I like to draw her so I don't forget her. Did you know my Aunt Wanda, Uncle Tony?"

"Yeah, bud. I knew her," the billionaire confirmed with a hint of sadness "How much do you remember about her?"

"She was shiny."

"Shiny?"

James nodded. "Like a big red star. That's how she kept me safe from monsters and nightmares. And she made feel all warm and cozy."

Warm and cozy. That's what Steve said about Natasha when he was still working on his vows. _"When she walks in the room, I feel all warm and cozy." _

Tony knew that it was not uncommon for the children of soulmates to be born with the same colored soul as one of their parents. And James was most certainly his father's son. Was that why he was so close to Wanda? Because he was destined to be with someone with a warm red soul? Tony shook the idea out of his head. James was still only six. He had plenty of time to find his soulmate.

"Uncle Tony, are you going to help my mama and daddy bring Aunt Wanda and the others back from heaven?" James asked.

Tony winced as the little boy looked up at him innocently. "Uncle Tony's kind of retired from the hero business, kid. But I'm sure your parents can pull this off without me."

"But we need you to make the lucky six."

"Lucky six?"

James nodded as he flipped through his drawing book, stopping when he found a drawing of the original Avengers during the battle of New York. "When you guys work together, you can do anything. That's why you lost when you went into space, Uncle Tony. You always try to fight the monsters by yourself because you don't want anyone else to get hurt. But everyone needs help. Even really smart guys like you."

Tony stared at the little boy in awe as he went back to drawing, knowing once and for all that James Rogers was Captain America's son.

* * *

"What's wrong?" Natasha lay in bed with her husband late that night, the soldier looking up at the ceiling as an icy crept off him. "Sweetheart, talk to me."

"They're going to want me to lead."

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do. They always do," Steve insisted "Tony did everything he could to prepare for the next invasion. But all I did was make us vulnerable. I dismantled SHIELD, I turned half the Avengers into fugitives. Thanos won because of me."

"Steve."

"Did you know Tony wanted to expand the Avengers after Sokovia? He said we should have teams in Los Angeles and Chicago. But I wouldn't let him. I convinced him that six people could defend the world from everything down here and out there. I was naive," Steve reprimanded "Naive and foolish."

"Hey." Natasha placed a hand on her husband's cheek "Look at me," she insisted softly, causing Steve to meet her gaze "You are a lot of things. Stubborn. Set in your ways. Strong. Kind," she went on in a gentler tone "Hopeful. Idealistic. But you are not foolish. You see the best in people, even when they don't see it in themselves. It's one of the many things I love about you. And it doesn't matter whose fault it is that we lost now. Because now we have a chance to undo it all. To bring everybody back and set things right."

"I can't lead them Nat." At that moment, Steve truly looked a hundred years old, weary and weathered from all his years at war "They deserve a better leader than me. They deserve you."

"Me?"

"You've been leading Carol and the others for the past five years. Far better I ever did," Steve praised "This is your mission, darling. You lead, I'll follow."

"Sweetheart," Natasha was stunned. She'd barely felt like a person these past few years, much less a leader. Until they went to recruit Tony, Natasha was pretty sure she hadn't left the facility since Yelena was born.

"Nat. Please."

Natasha stared into her husband's eyes, the icy blue orbs silently begging her to take the burden he could no longer bear. "Okay."


	2. Chapter 2

"Kids, this is your Uncle Bruce," Natasha introduced "Bruce, this James and Yelena."

The children of Captain America and the Black Widow looked up with slack jaws and wide eyes at the jade giant in front of them, wearing glasses and a black and white jumpsuit.

"Hey kids," Bruce greeted with a smile "Haven't seen you two since you were in diapers."

"You're big," James said in awestruck voice.

"You gots more muscles than Daddy," Yelena marveled.

"Yeah, I guess I do," Bruce said with a bashful chuckle "I wonder if I can use them to pick you up!"

The little girl squealed with delight as the incredible Hulk suddenly scooped her up with one hand, raising her above his head with ease.

"I want a turn!" James exclaimed, putting his arms up. "Can I get a turn?"

"Going up!" Bruce announced as he grabbed the little boy with his free hand lifting him high, the children laughing uncontrollably as they looked down at the world below.

"Bruce," Natasha smiled as she gave the Hulk a warning glare "You drop my kids, I drop you."

"Right." Bruce's cheeks grew warm as he set the children back down on the floor "We'll play more later, kids," he promised, right before he headed off to work. "Never thought I'd be playing with kids as the Hulk," he told Natasha.

"Never thought I'd have kids for you to play with. Alright Scott, you ready?"

The Ant-Man gave the Avengers a double thumbs up as he stood by the van seized Quantum tunnel.

"Daddy?" Yelena tugged on her father's sleeve as she said "I didn't know Mr. Lang was an astronaut."

"Astronaut? Oh," Steve's eyes widened slightly as he realized how much the ex-con's clothes looked like an old fashioned space suit. "He's not an astronaut, Yelena. He needs that suit so he can go to the Quantum Realm."

"So he can go back in time," James finished "right Dad?"

"That's right, son. Mr. Lang's friends put a time machine in the car."

Yelena was still confused. "But if that's a time machine, shouldn't Mr. Lang be driving? Doesn't he need to go eighty-eight miles an hour?"

Natasha gave the ex-con a knowing smile. "You let my babies watch _Back to the Future _last night, didn't you?"

"It is a cinema classic," Scott stated defensively "and it was my moral obligation to educate them. Now, let's do this."

"Here goes nothing." Bruce tentatively flipped the final switches on his lab desk, causing the quantum tunnel in the back to whir and light up, snatching Scott into its grasp in the blink of an eye.

Steve's eyes widened confusion and disbelief when an infant appeared mere moments later, wearing Scott's containment suit.

Bruce grinned. "I did it!"

"He's a baby!" Steve exclaimed as he children started to laugh.

"I brought him back," Bruce exclaimed.

"As a baby!"

"He'll grow."

"Fix him!" Steve ordered.

"Right." Bruce quickly started flipping switches and pressing buttons, sending Scott back into the quantum realm and pulling him back as quickly as before, this time as weathered, grey-haired old man.

"Bruce!" Steve shouted over his children's laughter.

"Working on it!" the Hulk promised, working urgently as he sent the ex-con back through the quantum realm.

The Ant-Man gasped as he finally returned at his proper age, his eyes full of shock and terror "Someone peed my suit," Scott informed in a trembling voice, "But I don't know if it was baby me, old me, or just me me," he added hesitantly, causing the children's laughter to increase.

"Do it again!" Yelena giggled.

"No!" Steve and Scott said at the same time. The super soldier glanced down as his son tugged on his sleeve, drawing his attention to the familiar car pulling up to the front.

* * *

"Uncle Tony!" James smiled from ear to ear as he raced out to meet the billionaire as he stepped out of his car, tackling him with a massive hug that almost knocked the billionaire off his feet.

"Surprised to see you here," Steve commented "Did the kids forget something when they spent the night?"

"Just thought I'd check in on your little time heist. Bruce turned Scott into baby, didn't he?" Tony guessed.

"And a grandpa," James added with a laugh.

"We're still working out the bugs," Steve admitted.

"Good thing I brought the bug spray." Tony held up his hand to reveal a high-tech bracelet on his wrist. "One fool-proof quantum tether."

"Does this mean you're going to help?" James asked.

Tony glanced down at the boy and smiled. "Guess it does. On one condition: I want to get back what we lost. But losing what we found is not an option," he told Steve.

"No argument there," the soldier agreed, placing a hand on his son's shoulder "So what made you change your mind?"

"Someone reminded me of how much I hate seeing the people I care about getting hurt. Which reminds me,"

Steve felt his stomach twist up with anxiety as his friend pulled out a familiar red, white and blue shield out of the trunk. "Tony...I can't."

"Why? My dad made it for you."

_Because I don't deserve it, _Steve thought, tentatively slipping the shield onto his arm. "Thank you, Tony."

"Hey, I just had to get it out of the house before Morgan tries to take it sledding."

"Can I go sledding on it?" James asked.

"No," the two fathers said in unison.

"You know if we're going to pull this off, we're going to have to get the band back together," Tony told Steve.

"Already on it."

* * *

"That's Uncle Thor?" James asked as the portly god of thunder walked in with Bruce and Rocket. "He doesn't look like the pictures."

"It's been a long time since those were taken," Steve reminded "We've all changed."

"He looks like Santa Claus," Yelena commented, causing Tony to snicker.

"Thor," Steve walked over and shook the king's hand "It's good to see you again."

"You as well Rogers," Thor's eyes glanced down to the children tugging at the captain's waist "Now who are these precious little ones?" he asked.

"This is Yelena," Steve introduced, patting his daughter's head "And you remember James."

"Why, I have not seen your firstborn since he was but a babe," Thor marveled.

"Where's your hammer?" James asked. "You always have a hammer in the storybook."

"Storybook?" Thor repeated causing James to hold up a hardcover book of Norse myths "Those stories are highly inaccurate. Come children. Let Uncle Thor tell you how these adventures really happened."

Steve smiled as the god of thunder led the children into kitchen, promising them cookies and tales of Asgard.

* * *

"I found Clint." Tony sat in the main office of the facility with Steve and Natasha, the billionaire starring a holographic projection of a map of Asia. "He's in Tokyo. He must be after the Yakuza."

Steve already knew what his wife was thinking. "You're going after him, aren't you?"

"I have to."

"I know. Do you want me to go with you?" He asked. If Clint was half as broken as Rhodey had lead them to believe, interrupting the archer's crusade could be dangerous.

Natasha shook her head. "We still need to figure out when to get the stones once the Quantum platform's done. And no one knows the space stone better than you."

"Yes ma'am."

Natasha gave her husband a teasing smirk before glancing over at Iron Man. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Curious, the billionaire got up and followed the Black Widow out into the hall.

"I just wanted to let you know I'm glad that you're here. I don't know if Steve could handle the pressure by himself."

"Captain America gets stressed out?" Tony was surprised "Never thought I'd see the day."

"Captain America isn't real Tony. Captain America is a character the army created to sell war bonds. A role that Steve Rogers had to play until he was cleared for combat. And ever since he got out of the ice, he's had to play that role twenty-four seven. Take it from someone who specializes in long-term covert ops, it is exhausting," Natasha promised "But Steve never complained. Captain America gives people hope. But Captain America can't get scared, or tired, or question what the right thing to do is. He keeps his head held high and fights for the American dream, day after day. But Steve? Steve fights to get out of bed on D-Day. Steve wakes up crying when he dreams of Hitler's Holocaust camps. Steve walks the streets of his childhood neighborhood and can't find anything familiar. Steve thinks we never would've lost to Thanos in the first place if he were more like you."

Tony truly felt like the world had turned upside down.

"He always said you were the best of us. That's why I'm glad you're here," Natasha explained "to inspire him. Thanos took a lot of fight out of Steve. Maybe all of it. All he wants is to leave the soldier's life behind. And so do I. But I can't do that until we at least try to make things right. But we wouldn't stand a chance if you didn't come to help us. So thank you."

As the Black Widow headed off to pack, Tony looked over his shoulder and into the office, where Captain America was looking over all the information the Avengers had on the infinity stones.

For the first time, Tony was able to Steve Rogers for what he truly was: a good-hearted, century old man who was tired of war.

* * *

"Mama?"

Natasha stood alone in her room packing an overnight bag, turning around at the sound of her daughter's voice.

"Are we going on a trip?" Yelena asked.

"No baby. Just Mama." The Black Widow walked over and crouched down in front of her daughter "You're Uncle Clint is coming for a visit. I'm just going to pick him up."

Yelena's eyes widened. She'd heard many stories about her Uncle Clint. But she had never met him. She hadn't known any of uncles until today, except for Tony. "Can I come with you?"

Natasha shook her head. "Uncle Clint's out chasing bad guys. It might be dangerous, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Then how come Daddy isn't going with you?"

"Because Mama doesn't need Daddy to fight bad guys," Natasha answered with a smile "Besides, I'll have Uncle Clint there if I need help. I think he might be the only person in the world who loves me as much as Daddy does." The Black Widow tilted her head as she noticed the disappointed look on her daughter's face "But there is something you can do for me. There's a lot of testosterone in the house right now and,"

"Test-a-what?"

"Testosterone," Natasha repeated slowly "It's what makes boys boys. And we both know how silly boys can be without us girls around," Natasha joked "Especially your Uncle Tony. So I need you to keep an eye on them and make sure they don't do anything crazy while I'm gone, okay?"

Yelena smiled. "Okay Mama."

"Good girl. Can I get a hug?" Natasha smiled as her daughter walked into her arms. "I'll be back first thing tomorrow," she promised "I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

"How many of us are left?" Clint walked with Natasha into the New Avengers facility, the archer's eyes cold and haunted.

"Tony, Bruce, Thor," Natasha listed off "Rhodey, Scott, Steve and our kids."

"Kids?" Clint's repeated.

"Mama!"

Clint's heart stopped as a little girl came running into view, wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans and white sneakers.

"Hi baby!" Natasha beamed as the little girl ran into her arms, giving her a massive hug. "I missed you," she said, giving her daughter a kiss on the cheek.

She was a mother. Clint could hardly believe it. Natasha was a mother. He knew she was pregnant during the Accords but to actually see it...

"Clint, this is my daughter Yelena," Natasha introduced "Yelena, this is uncle Clint, your godfather."

"Hi Yelena," Clint struggled to keep his voice level as he knelt down in front of the little girl "It's nice to meet you."

"You're mama's big brother?" the little girl asked.

"Yeah, I guess I am. You know something?" Clint asked "You look just like your mother."

Yelena smiled. "Daddy's making pancakes. Do you want some?"

"I'd love some."

"Good."

Natasha smiled as she watched her daughter take Clint by hand and led him into the mess hall to friends and family.

* * *

"Never thought I'd see the day."

Steve and Natasha stood in the doorway of the commons area, watching their children play with the rest of the Avengers.

Tony, Thor and Rhodey were swapping stories with James, who was drawing each and everyone in perfect detail. At this rate, the kid would have enough stories to write a tell-all book. Clint, Scott and Bruce were helping Yelena with her dollhouse, filled with a strange combination of Avengers action figures and Barbie dolls.

"Feels more like we're having a family dinner instead of trying to save the world," Natasha whispered.

"Wish it was like this more often," Steve told her.

"It will be," Natasha promised "Once we pull this off."

Steve could not believe how optimistic she was. "Okay little commandos. Time for bed."

James and Yelena whined.

"Five more minutes?" James asked.

"Please?" Yelena begged, batting her eyes.

Steve shook his head. "You two have already gotten to stay up later than you usually do."

"Can Uncle Clint tuck me in?" Yelena asked, earning a surprised look from her parents and her godfather.

Steve glanced at the archer and smiled. "I don't see why not," he granted, earning a touched look from grieving archer.

"Come on little lady," Clint said, taking the little girl's hand "I'll tell you a bedtime story. Any requests? Cinderella? Goldilocks?"

"Budapest!"

"Budapest?" Clint repeated with a smile "That's not a bedtime story."

"Is too," the little girl argued as she walked with the archer to her room.

"I don't want to go to bed yet," James argued as his father picked him up and carried him to bed "Uncle Thor promised to tell me how he saved the world from the mean elves Santa Claus kicked out his workshop."

"I think you mean Dark Elves," Steve corrected.

"That's what I said. And Uncle Tony said that he would tell me how he and Uncle Rhodey stopped the Mandarin and his army of Extreeme-meanies."

"You mean Extremis."

"That's what I said!" James repeated.

Steve chuckled. "Tell you what: If you go to bed now, Uncle Thor, Uncle Tony and I will tell you story of Sokovia."

James' eyes lit up. "Deal!"

"Why does the young one love the tale of Sokovia so much?" Thor asked.

"Because it's where we met Wanda," Tony answered, "He can't get enough of it." The billionaire sighed as he walked side by with the soldier and the thunder god to the little boy's bedroom "I am getting serious _Full House _vibes from this situation."

* * *

Clint Barton sat on the edge a tiny child's mattress in Yelena's bedroom, the former private space of the Scarlet Witch now covered in dolls, ballet slippers, and pastel pink wallpaper "And that is how your mommy and I saved to Budapest."

"Again!" Yelena demanded, practically bouncing out of her bed in excitement.

"No. No," Clint repeated with a chuckle "It's time for you to go to sleep."

"Uncle Clint?" Yelena nervously played with the hem of her quilt as he got up to turn out the light, "Are you going to leave after you bring your family back from heaven?"

Clint tilted his head as he stood in doorway. "Yeah. My family and I live in Iowa."

"I don't want you to go," Yelena said sadly "I won't see you anymore."

"Oh," Clint walked over and knelt down in front of the bed "I know I haven't been around here often. But I promise, you are going to see a lot more of me from now on."

"Really?"

"Really," Clint repeated "Once this is all over, I'm going to have you guys over to my place. I got a real big backyard in my place. I can take you camping," he offered "teach you and your brother how to ride horses."

"Pinky promise?"

Clint felt a lump in his throat as Yelena raised her tiniest finger. He used to make these with his children all the time "Pinky promise."

* * *

Steve stood with Tony and Thor in James' bedroom, the former living quarters of the Vision now covered with drawings, baseballs and books "And that is how the Avengers saved Sokovia."

"I like that story," James said with a smile "Daddy, can Aunt Wanda stay with us when you bring her back from heaven?"

"I don't see why not," Steve said as his tucked his little boy in "We have plenty of room."

"Uncle Sam and Uncle Bucky too?"

"Sure son," the super soldier said with a smile "but we may have to keep their rooms very far apart."

"Sounds like the kids wants everyone to move in with you guys," Tony chuckled.

"Uh-uh, I don't want Uncle Thor's baby brother to stay with us," the little boy corrected "He's too tricky."

Thor felt a bolt of pain strike through his heart at the mention of Loki, racing out of the room as the memory of his death flashed across his mind.

* * *

Steve and Tony found Thor alone in the courtyard, silently drinking a beer in the middle of a sudden evening rain.

"Your children are most precious," the thunder god complimented, his locked on the horizon "I always hoped Jane and I would have children."

"You still can," Steve encouraged.

"No," Thor said with a sigh, right before he took another sip of his beer "No, I fear fate has other plans for us."

"Why? Because she's human and you're Asgardian?" Tony asked, "It's almost scientifically impossible for soulmates to make babies sooner or later."

"Jane is dying." The once gentle rain turned into a heavy downpour as Thor's voice began to tremble "Carrying the Aether, the reality stone, within her infected her with cancer. That's why she pushed me away all those years ago. Now she's all I have left. Why am I here?" he asked "Why am I half a world away from my soulmate when any moment could be her last? So I can save a bunch of people I barely knew? So I can muck it up and get the few friends I have left killed?"

Steve sat down next to the broken Asgardian. "My daughter used to be afraid of thunderstorms. The noise would keep her up at night, send her running into our bed. Nat and I weren't exactly sure what to do. But James did. He told Yelena that the thunder and lightning was how Uncle Thor scared the space monsters away. That it was how you kept them safe. Now when it rains, she sleeps like a baby. Thor, if you want to go home and make the most of whatever time you and Jane have left, no one will judge you," Steve promised "But if you're looking for an excuse to leave because you don't think you belong here, just know that my children still have faith in you. And so do I."

The god of thunder sniffled as the rain stopped, stepping out of his seat and walking back inside without a word.

* * *

"You have got to be kidding me!"

Steve, Thor and Tony walked back into the commons rooms, where they found the Ant-Man screaming at the War Machine at the top his lungs. "You can't do this!"

"Scott, calm down," Rhodey pleaded.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" the ex-con shouted "Not with what's at stake!"

"What's going on here?" Steve asked.

"Mutiny!" Scott exclaimed "That's what's happening."

"Rhodey and the others don't want Scott in the field," Natasha explained "Or Tony, or us."

"This is insane," Scott insisted "Have everyone forgotten that this is my heist? _My heist?"_

"Scott, you have a daughter," Rhodey reminded "Tony has a daughter. Steve and Natasha have two kids. Us," the War Machine gestured to the rest of the remaining Avengers "we got nothing to lose. You got everything to lose. Do you really want to risk not seeing them again?"

"Of course not," Tony answered "But we have to do this. When I was on Titan, Doctor Strange used the Time Stone to try and strategize before our fight with Thanos. Said our chances of winning were one in fourteen million. One in fourteen million," Tony repeated "That's not even a fraction of a chance. Then Thanos showed up and made us look like a bunch of girl scouts. Then he gave Thanos the Time Stone to save my life. After he swore he'd leave the rest of us to die before he let that happen." Tony's face became shadowed with guilt as he remembered the sorcerer's final words to him: _There was no other way. _"Strange knew that we would be the ones to survive Thanos using the stones. That we'd be the ones left standing after the dust settled. That we'd be the only ones with the slightest chance of fixing what Thanos broke. Now I know that's a long shot," Tony acknowledged "but we're the Avengers. Longshots are our specialty. So if we don't all do this, there's no point of any of us doing any of it. Now, if we're all done playing who wants to cop out, I believe Mrs. Captain has a plan to share with us." The flamboyant superhero bowed before the Black Widow and took his seat "The floor's yours."

* * *

"You don't like the plan." Natasha laid in bed with Steve late that evening, the soldier and the spy both looking up at the ceiling "Do you?"

"I never said I didn't like the plan," Steve countered.

"You didn't have to." Ever since the teams to recover the stones had been decided, Steve's icy soul had taken a harsh chill "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. As a soldier under command, I have no question regarding your orders."

"And as my husband?"

Steve sighed as he sat up in bed, swinging his legs over the mattress as if he were preparing to get out of bed. "You split us up."

Natasha winced as she felt the chill from his words.

"Side by side, an army of two, that was what we promised," Steve reminded "And now you want me to go to New York while you go to Vormir. Now I understand that sometimes armies must split up. And there is no one I trust to watch your six in my place more than Clint. But why Vormir?"

"Because Clint volunteered to go," Natasha answered simply "Clint tested the Quantum platform because he doesn't care if he lives or dies anymore. Just like I didn't care before I met you. That's why I chose to go to Vormir, sweetheart. Because he kept me alive when I wanted to die and now it's my turn to do the same."

"But Vormir…we don't know anything about that place, darling. All we know is that it's where Nebula's sister died. Carol said she should be here by tomorrow night. Maybe we should wait for her," Steve suggested "She might know something about Vormir that we don't."

"You heard Scott. The Quantum Realm is constantly shifting. If we wait for Carol, we could lose our window to get back."

"I know. I know," Steve sighed as he linked his fingers together "Like I said, as a soldier I'll follow your orders to the letter. But as your husband,"

"You're scared." Natasha gently ran her hand though her husband's hair, "Staten Island."

"What?"

"I think we should look for a place in Staten Island after we bring everybody back. That's where I saw our family when I realized I was pregnant with Yelena."

Steve's eyes widened as he turned to look in his wife in the eye. "You're serious?"

Natasha nodded. "There's nothing I want more than to grow old with you and watch our kids grow up. I just need clear my conscience first. This going to work, sweetheart. Everything is going to be fine," she promised with a smile "I know it will."

Steve took a deep breath as he laid back and went to sleep, trying to ignore the sickening pit swallowing his stomach.

* * *

"Let me go." Natasha hung on the edge of a cliff on the Vormir with Clint, the archer desperately holding onto her for dear life.

"No," Clint croaked, shaking his head. He had already lost his wife and children. He couldn't lose her too.

"It's okay," Natasha insisted gently. This was the only way to get the Soul Stone. To bring back all the people that Thanos killed. The only way for Clint to see his family again.

"I promised Steve!" he blurted out, causing Natasha to pause as she attempted to jump "I promised Steve I'd bring you back."

Natasha felt a waver in her resolve at the mention of her soulmate, a single tear falling down her cheek. "I never would've found them if it wasn't for you."

"No," Clint's eyes filled with tears as he begged "No, please don't."

"Take care of them."

"NAT!" Clint screamed in agony as she pushed her feet off the cliff, causing her hand to slip out of his.

Natasha closed her eyes as she raced to the ground below, picturing Steve's smiling face as she let out a whisper just before her head hit the ground. "Goodbye sweetheart."

* * *

Tony's head snapped up as he heard the clang of Steve's shield and the scepter hitting the ground, the first Avenger leaning heavily against the car as if he'd been severely wounded. "Cap?" The billionaire got out of the car and hurried over to his friend's side, his worry turning panic at the sight of Captain America.

His hands were shaking. His lips were blue. His eyes were shattered and full of tears.

"Cap, what's wrong? What's wrong?" Tony repeated.

"She's gone," Steve answered in a hollow voice.

"Gone? Who's gone? What are you talking about?"

"Romanoff," Scott realized, recognizing the pain in Steve's eyes. He knew that pain all too well. He'd been feeling it non-stop ever since Hope turned to dust.

"You don't know that," Tony argued "Cap, we don't know that."

"She's gone Tony," Steve croaked, turning his back to his teammates as he placed both hands on the hood of the car, a river of tears racing down his face.

Why? Why did it have to be her? Why didn't he insist they stay together? Why didn't he get to say goodbye?

"Steve," Tony placed a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder "I know how to get the space stone and the Pym particles to get back. I know how we can still pull this off. But I can't do it without you. Don't let this all be for nothing," he pleaded "Don't let what she sacrificed be for nothing."

Steve took a sharp breath as he raised his head, his eyes frozen in a mind-numbing grief. "This has to work Tony," he said in a broken voice "This has to work."

"It will. I promise."

* * *

"I couldn't stop her." Clint stood on the Quantum platform with the rest of what remained of the Avengers, his throat clenching up like a vice at the sight of Steve "It was, it was the only way to get the stone. A soul for a soul. That's what he said. It should've been me. I told her it should've been me." Clint's words turned to gut-wrenching sobs as Captain America pulled him into a warm hug, unable to process how Natasha's husband could forgive him so easily. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Steve told him, fighting to keep his tears at bay "She's at peace now," he said with certainty. That was the one comfort he had through all of this. That though whatever bond he and Natasha shared, he knew that she passed away with no regrets, having completed that task she'd worked so hard and long for "She finally wiped the red from her ledger."

"Dad? What's going on?"

Steve felt that remains of his heart start to crack at the sound of his son's voice, turning around to see James and Yelena looking up at him, his daughter innocently asking a question that shook the Avengers to their core "Where's Mama?"


End file.
